Synthesis

Your last chance.

A Belated Summary

After a briefing by one Commander Hamilton, the division of disgraced Agents was sent to the barren French Wastelands to investigate the reason various UIG personnel have gone missing there in recent years. Shortly after their arrival they found themselves trapped as ‘citizens’ of an invisible City, run by machines.

Through investigating and cooperating with The City, the division have learned that it seems to be ruled by a powerful AI as an attempt at creating a Utopia by supplying any resource a human could feasibly need. To this end, all citizens are provided with their own rooms, with the technology to adapt themselves to the occupant’s desires and provide anything, within reason, that the occupant might want.

However, given the presence of a strange chapter of The Order Of The True Faith seemingly in turmoil, a recently unveiled pocket of Cult Of Machina members, including the infamous Victor Dravenko and the inability to leave, it seems clear that all is not well in The City. To add to the divisions woe one of their number, Peggy Dewhurst, has been slain in the line of duty, while trying to locate and assassinate Dravenko.

Although the Order seem to be a little extreme in bombing one of the Telepathic Energy Reactors (TER) that powers The City and the division turning one of their low-ranking terrorists over to The City to be inaugurated into the ominously named Augmented Democracy Project, the division’s leader, Noah, seems to be on good terms with Chris, a self-proclaimed high-ranking member of the faction. Chris claims no concrete knowledge of the Cult of Machina, but mentioned rumours that their might be Order members collaborating with them.

Although no Cult of Machina members have been seen, they have left plenty of evidence around the corpse of Peggy Dewhurst and Victor Dravenko, having been on talking terms with Klaus for a week, all but confessed his involvement in the incident, albeit privately to Klaus. His whereabouts are currently uncertain. The City is currently scoping out the secret tunnels around the area Peggy was found.

In discovering Peggy’s remains, Noah and Jamal made contact with a self-proclaimed higher up at Eurasian Incorporated who seems to have decided to trust them for now. After securing a line of communication with their new contact, the division asked the City to help repair and transport her body to her next of kin.

After a brief chat with Victor in Central Park (Sector 5), they easily confirmed his involvement in Peggy’s demise, while discovering that he was not himself the murderer. When we left our unlikely heroes, they had decided to take some time to build up Victor’s trust in Klaus, in order to get more information about the Cult, before avenging Peggy’s death.

A Brief Summary of Recent Events

About ten years ago, an Eurasian Incorporated internal conflict spilled into the streets of Venus, wreaking havoc on civilians and the UIG alike. There was a rather public break-in to an UIG facility and the public and the UIG alike were dissatisfied with the repercussions when everything was blamed on the rebelling faction, despite plenty of evidence to the contrary.

Since then, Eurasian Incorporated’s influence has been growing rapidly. They have made massive technological advancements on almost all fronts, keeping the fruits of their labor primarily for their own Agents, to bolster the public knowledge that E.I. is the corporation that best looks after its own. Some humanitarian efforts have been made in an attempt to brighten their image; however, in recent years some of their more morally questionable operations have been exposed or simply destroyed by opposing Corporations, leading to a rather schizophrenic public image.

The majority of E.I.’s recent losses can be attributed to Comoros, with the Western Federation trailing a little behind. The latter has been attributed by the media to the rather public breakup of former Western Federation, former E.I. Agent Peggy Dewhurst with her E.I. husband. Realistically, however, the sudden increase in inter-corporate conflict must have something more behind it.

Those better informed seem to think that both E.I. and Comoros are gearing up for war. Meanwhile, the UIG has, for the most part, scaled back its operations to keeping the peace in neutral territory, possibly stockpiling their resources for the coming storm. There are as many opinions on what the other three Corporations are planning as there are people to ask about them, but it seems likely that they’re biding time and strength, to pounce on the survivors when the dust clears.

On a more specific note, five Agents from various Corporations have recently been offered an investigative mission as penance for recent crimes. For heretofore unspecified reasons, the mission is considered too risky to expend further UIG resources on, but to aid in the mission and keep the UIG informed on the situation, all Agents involved have been offered the following upgrades:

PSE and Recorder come as a package deal. If you’ve already taken the PSE and you opt for the free upgrade, you can have the money for the PSE back. Obviously, though, you risk the UIG knowing your every move. Don’t take it, though, and the UIG know you still have things to hide. Unless you already have the upgrades, of course.

I’m ignoring the Anascan GUI from Machines of War, because I think it’s bollocks. Anytime something states the GUI as a prerequisite, ignore it. ]